Akeredolu’s restructuring frustration and Nigeria’s future

It is obvious that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State is frustrated with the nation’s warped structure.

In a keynote address delivered last Thursday at a meeting of Attorneys-General of the 36 states, the governor lamented that “The current spate of insecurity in the country leaves us with no room for equivocation on the rights of the states to maintain law and order through the establishment of State Police. The growing distrust in the polity is a direct result of the disconnect between Federal Government and the constituent units of the country. The economic adversity currently experienced in the country points directly at the defective political structure.”

He added, “The crises created by the 1999 Constitution, as amended, have been unending. There have been agitations that the Exclusive Legislative List in this Constitution is limited to Nigeria’s external trade, customs duties, export duties, tax on incomes, profits and capital gains, interstate commerce, external borrowing, mining rents and royalties from mineral resources, among others.”

Restructuring the country to conform to federalism has been, for a long time, the position of many ethno-political groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze and Pan Niger Delta Forum. The groups have been able to trace the problems in the country, which manifest as cracks in the polity and poor management of the economy, to the concentration of powers at the federal level. They have always claimed that until and unless the country is restructured, development in the country will always be in the reverse because the warped system currently operational in the country neither encourages productivity nor can it engender creativity.

This has turned out to be true. The best years of this country were the years when true federalism was practised. They were the years when each of the regions controlled its resources. Those were the years when each of the country’s components was allowed to determine its fate and pace. The freedom to choose resulted in creative competition among the regions. This produced the groundnut pyramid in the North, the cocoa revolution in the West and the palm oil wealth in the East. Apart from all of these resulting in prosperity for the regions and the country as a whole, unemployment was very rare and criminality was low. This definitely was Nigeria’s golden era.

This is what those who have been agitating for the adoption of federalism, which is the kernel of restructuring, want. They want the country to go back to a practice that will engender prosperity, promote development and guaranty safety of the citizens.

It is quite comforting that in recent times, several leaders, from across the country, have joined in the call for true federalism. General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, former Military President, said not quite long ago that “Restructuring has become a national appeal whose time has come. I will strongly advocate for devolution of powers to the extent that more responsibilities be given to the states while the federal government is vested with the responsibility to oversee our foreign policy, defense, and economy.” This means that it is becoming clearer by the day to everyone that Nigeria cannot be great without embracing federalism. It is even getting more obvious to all and sundry that with different crises in nearly every part of the country, the continued existence of the country is dependent on whether or not it embraces federalism. This is why there is now such a loud din about federalism and restructuring.

But wait a minute, who will restructure Nigeria? Who will bell the cat? Ordinarily, restructuring Nigeria should be the call of those in power at the federal level, especially the executive and the legislature. But will they make such a call? Put in very plain language, restructuring is about the federal government losing the bulk of its power to other tiers of government. Restructuring is about the federal government losing its revenue and influence to the states. Will this happen in Nigeria? Will those at the helm of affairs willingly let go of their power, having experienced the privileges that come with it? Not many people let go of power without a fight. Power is never given, it is always taken. This explains why Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Information and Culture Minister, speaking on behalf of the government, said a while ago that restructuring was not, and still is not, the priority of the current administration, though it was a campaign issue for the All Progressives Congress (APC). It is also the reason for the statement credited to Chief John Oyegun, former APC National Chairman, that the government was not considering restructuring the country.

Governor Akeredolu corroborated this in his address when he said, “The Federal Government has, consistently, rejected this suggestion (to restructure the country), presumably, because of the humongous 52 percent revenue allocation to it while the 36 States and the 774 Local Governments share the remaining 48 percent.”

In his frustration, Akeredolu called on state governments to take up the challenge of restructuring the country by, among others, setting up their anti-graft agencies.

Someone help me please, how does the establishment of state anti-graft agencies result in restructuring the country? Can any state agency prosecute anyone? Will any suspect not be prosecuted by the Nigeria Police? Since states have been establishing Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) how has that changed the structure of the country? States can set up as many agencies as satisfy their fancy but that will not improve the structure of the country.

The only guarantee that the country will get restructured is to have a president who is not a slave to power, a president who is willing to let go of part of the power of the federal government for the good of the whole nation. Let’s not make any mistake about it; restructuring is about giving up power. Restructuring is about giving up affluence. Restructuring is about giving up influence. Letting go of all of these is not the easiest thing to do. But whoever takes the decision for power devolution knows that he is doing so in the interest of the generality of Nigerians. That will be the compensation. So in 2023, Nigerians should elect a president who does not want to hoard power that he does not need. Nigerians should elect a president who wants states to prosper. Nigerians should elect a president who wants the grassroots to grow. Whether or not the country will get restructured is dependent on the president we elect in 2023. So, if Nigerians want a restructured country, they should elect a restructuring champion.